ZEE5 Chief Amit Goenka Maps Global Expansion Strategy Around Multilingual Content Push: ‘You Will See a Different Experience Altogether’ (EXCLUSIVE)

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ZEE5, a prominent Indian streaming service, is taking a daring step by emphasizing its multilingual foundation as part of a significant rebranding and strategic shift. This change aims to seize the upcoming surge in online entertainment demand.

The platform has introduced a fresh brand concept, centered around the pledge “Many Languages, Many Tales”, symbolizing a reversion to the core essence of the service following years of concentrating predominantly on Hindi-language national programming as stated by Amit Goenka, president of digital businesses and platforms at Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. This shift represents a return to the original genetic makeup of the service.

In 2018, ZEE5 was initially introduced with a strong emphasis on language content at its core,” Goenka explains to EbMaster. “The market landscape was different then, but it has evolved since. Now, smaller towns and tier-two, tier-three cities are embracing OTT streaming. This is when we felt that the moment had arrived for us to revisit our initial strategy of having a deep focus on languages.

The change in strategy arises because ZEE5 significantly increases its rate of content creation. In the upcoming fiscal year, they aim to debut over 120 different pieces of content – a number that’s more than twice the approximately 60 titles they are releasing this current fiscal year.

Bollywood continues to be popular globally, and it’s one of ZEE’s key strengths. Every year, we host numerous film premieres that are only available on ZEE5,” Goenka points out.

ZEE5’s language-based approach expands globally, customizing content for diaspora communities all around the world. Goenka explains the regional tendencies: “In the Middle East, there’s a preference for south Indian languages, with Malayalam standing out as the most popular. In the U.S. Bay Area, our focus is primarily on Telugu and Tamil speakers. As for the tri-state area, we’ll cater to a mix of Hindi, Marathi, and other languages. In Canada, we anticipate a greater emphasis on Punjabi content.

The technology behind this platform automatically adjusts based on your location. So, if you’re a new user from Chennai, for instance, the initial interface would be in Tamil. However, there will be a prompt that suggests, “Please choose your preferred language,” and once you do, the content will switch to the language of your choice.

The change encompasses more than simply organizing content. As Goenka points out, “We’re not just focusing on content but aiming to enhance the entire platform experience, with a focus on languages moving forward.” If you look at ZEE5 across various regions, you will notice a significantly different user experience.

ZEE5 is broadening its reach by catering to languages that have not been extensively served before. The Kannada content, such as “Ayyana Mane,” was recently launched, with more original productions planned in Marathi, Malayalam, and Bengali. Additionally, the platform is utilizing its television background. The upcoming lineup features a variety of genres, including “Detective Sherdil” (Hindi), “Sattamum Neethiyum” (Tamil), “Mothubaru Love Story” (Telugu), “Inspection Bungalow” (Malayalam), “Maarigallu” (Kannada), “Aata Thambhahya Naay” (Marathi) and “Vibhishan” (Bengali).

The approach to our content intentionally ventures outside of familiar territory. As Goenka clarifies, we’re delving into unfamiliar territories, such as genres beyond family dramas that ZEE is commonly associated with. Our primary focus now lies on genres that have potential in international markets, specifically crime and others.

Unlike numerous other streaming services spending money to gain market share, ZEE5 stands out by generating a profit in its international markets – an impressive feat, considering the steep customer acquisition expenses common within this sector.

Goenka underscores that Zee is a company that places great emphasis on profitability. He highlights two key points: firstly, we must strive to achieve EBITDA positivity, a goal we’ve already met in the global market. Interestingly, we are also EBITDA positive in our digital sector, an impressive feat given the high cost of customer acquisition.

The fiscal prudence is proving beneficial. For instance, last year, we reduced our losses by nearly 50%. This year, we anticipate performing significantly better than that. Additionally, we’re aiming for impressive results this year, as Goenka shares.

In different market settings, our key performance indicators can differ significantly. “On a global scale,” he clarifies, “we don’t offer the same product everywhere. In some regions, we solely operate on a subscription basis, while in others, we combine advertising and subscription services. As a result, the importance of these metrics fluctuates from one market to another. When it comes to advertising, user engagement takes priority. For subscription-based markets, however, the focus is clearly on expanding our subscriber base.

ZEE5 is preparing for its next competitive frontier by focusing on vertical storytelling. They’ve entered into a strategic alliance with startup Bullet, investing in this specialist of micro-dramas. This partnership aims to seamlessly incorporate Bullet’s platform into the ZEE5 environment.

As a content provider, it’s not optional for us; we need to serve all our viewers. Therefore, it’s not a matter of if, but rather a matter of when we’ll delve into vertical storytelling,” Goenka explains.

As a seasoned movie critic, I must say that India seems to be lagging behind its neighbor, China, when it comes to the burgeoning trend of micro-dramas. Interestingly, China’s revenue from this format has surpassed their local box office for the first time, reaching an impressive $6.9 billion, according to DataEye statistics. It’s projected that this market could swell to a staggering $14 billion by 2028, solely within China. As a connoisseur of cinematic art, I can’t help but wonder what India might achieve if it decides to dive headfirst into the micro-drama pool.

Goenka mentions that we’ve been discussing this for some time internally, and now we all concur that it’s a crucial area to focus on when it comes to expanding our business. He points out that if we want to target younger demographics, this is the next strategic frontier.

The Bullet partnership marks ZEE5’s initial step into producing ultra-short content, as expressed by Goenka: “Until now, we haven’t created 90-second or two-minute episodes from start to finish. This is a new venture for us. We are optimistic that the skills needed for this type of content will be brought by the company we have invested in.

He openly expresses his unique viewpoint about the style: “From my standpoint, it’s not something I find appealing because I’m not from that era. However, as a company, we haven’t ventured into this before, so I believe it will be an exploration, and we’ll discover what resonates with our audience.

This year, we’re planning a significant redesign of our user interface and experience (UI/UX) – it’s been seven years since the last one. The new design will include advanced suggestions and customization options, made possible through artificial intelligence (AI).

As a movie enthusiast, I’m excited to share that our company is placing a significant emphasis on technology this year. By the end of it, you’ll notice a surge in personalized recommendations, a feature we haven’t given much attention to so far. Our primary focus has been on providing top-notch content, but I believe we’re about to shift gears and place more importance on enhancing your viewing experience.

Previously, my focus was primarily on providing high-quality videos. However, I’ve come to understand that today’s consumers seek more than just good quality; they crave an enhanced viewing experience. They desire the capability to locate content effortlessly. As we move forward, the ease of discovering content is becoming increasingly vital.

The platform is now speeding up its collaborations with partners following the resolution of past technical hurdles. As Goenka points out, integrating with numerous partners was quite difficult in the past. With our technology emphasis, we classify partners into different categories: there’s the telco ISP [Internet Service Provider] group, which is a significant portion. Then come other online service providers (OTT), e-commerce entities that we can collaborate with. The rest could be straightforward marketing alliances with banks.

The enhancements in our infrastructure are proving beneficial. “We’ve essentially developed technology that allows for smoother and quicker integration with others. As a result, you can expect us to establish numerous collaborations at an accelerated pace. Closing business deals has become more straightforward, while the technical aspects of integration have become less challenging – something we’ve largely addressed.

The global approach relies heavily on collaborations due to economic reasons. As marketing beyond India tends to be costly, and the markets are generally fragmented, reaching the target audience can be challenging. Therefore, forming partnerships appears to be the optimal choice.

Goenka explains that when it comes to ZEE5’s approach to expanding directly to consumers, we must prioritize and select our options carefully. Naturally, we’re focusing on the larger, more densely populated markets where there’s a significant presence of Indian or South Asian expatriates,” Goenka says.

As profits are made worldwide and content production is doubled, ZEE5’s move back to its multilingual roots can be seen as a strategic wager. This strategy is based on the belief that creating authentic, locally relevant stories, along with technological advancements, will set it apart in a streaming market becoming increasingly congested.

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2025-06-11 12:48